Woman With Lizard In Bra Arrested On OUI Charge

TAUNTON (CBS) — Taunton Police gave a lively account of a Monday afternoon OUI arrest that featured a concealed lizard, a replica handgun, and a man who couldn’t remember his name.

Amy Rebello-McCarthy, 39 of Newton, was charged with operating under the influence of liquor, driving to endanger, and marked lane violation. Her passenger, Marvin Kyewalyanga, 22, was placed in protective custody.

Police said Rebello-McCarthy drove off the road while speeding, knocking over six mailboxes and damaging a homeowner’s well. They also said one of the mailboxes “went airborne” and smashed the window of a nearby parked car.

Around 1:23 p.m. Monday, Taunton Police said, they responded to a crash in the front yard of a home on Staple Street.

Rebello-McCarthy’s car, in the front yard of a Staple Street home. (Taunton Police)

They found Rebello-McCarthy, who a witness said had been driving at the time of the crash, standing next to her 1999 Mercedes as Kyewalyanga tried to drive the car back to the road.

Though the car was stuck between trees, missing both bumpers, and sitting on four flat tires with its airbags deployed, Taunton Police said she was laughing and “didn’t feel the crash was that serious.”

Officers said Rebello-McCarthy was slurring and drooling, and asked them to call her a tow truck.

They then spoke to Kyewalyanga, who was smoking a cigarette near the car, which was leaking gasoline. Officers said he slurred his speech and couldn’t remember his name–but things escalated when they saw the handle of a gun in his pants.

He was tackled and handcuffed, but the weapon was found to be an airsoft replica gun.

That wasn’t all that was hidden from the officers–before being taken to the police station, Ribello-McCarthy told police she had a bearded dragon lizard hidden on her person.

Rebello-McCarthy’s bearded dragon lizard.(Taunton Police)

“Where does one hold a Bearded Dragon Lizard while driving you ask?” wrote Taunton Police in the post. “Answer: In their brassiere of course!!”

They removed the lizard, and took both Rebello-McCarthy and Kyewalyanga back to the police station–where officers said Rebello-McCarthy was found to have almost twice the legal blood alcohol level.

The lizard was turned over to Taunton Animal Control–and police added that, unlike its previous owner, “it faces no charges at this time.”